


It’s been a long time coming

by mistyegg



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Meeting the Parents, Modern Era, Rated T for swearing, Valentine's Day, subtle family drama for the sake of charactisation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:14:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29330631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistyegg/pseuds/mistyegg
Summary: A classic meeting-the-family fic, but make it Valentines.
Relationships: Background Mikasa Ackerman/Armin Arlert, Levi Ackerman/Eren Yeager
Comments: 4
Kudos: 53
Collections: EreRiren Agenda Secret Valentine





	It’s been a long time coming

**Author's Note:**

> a valentine's gift for kurpikass on twitter!!! i hope this is up to your tastes hals <3 you didn't leave me a lot to work with but i hope pure fluff was what you were looking for uwu
> 
> there's like vague hints of a backstory on levi in this fic but other than that this is basically just plotless 🤪
> 
> title from love by imagine dragons

“Why Valentine’s Day?”   
  
“Huh?” Eren suddenly perks up, turning his head to stare at Levi for a few seconds in confusion at his sudden question, before turning back to the road. They’d been driving in comfortable silence since they’d left the state about an hour ago, letting the quiet cd play fill the car with background noise. Clearly Levi had been thinking about this for a while now, his brows slightly furrowed; he even has his arms crossed as he looks away, sighing. “Why did you decide to do this on Valentine’s Day? I know we don’t do anything big, but, well…”   
  
Eren reaches over and places his right hand over Levi’s knee, “You don’t need to be so nervous,” Eren says quietly, knowing it’s eating Levi up on the inside. “They’ll love you just fine, Lee, okay?”   
  
He pulls back to grab the steering wheel confidently, “Besides, Valentine’s Day is kind of special in my family, and… I think they’ll appreciate getting to meet you now, especially mama. Relax, okay?”   
  
Levi sighs, but lets it go with a slight drop of his shoulders. “Okay.”   
  
After a few songs, Levi fiddles with the stereo and flickers through Eren’s cd collection; they fight playfully for a few minutes on what to put on before Levi makes a raspberry with his tongue and pops in  _ Origins  _ by Imagine Dragons. Levi snorts everytime Eren sings the words under his breath, telling him he’s a shit singer but demanding he doesn’t stop; his face always heats up when Eren sings the cheesiest lines with the most mischievous smirk, but he no longer tries to hide it.

They end up at the drive way of the Jaeger household during the second last song, sitting in the car for a minute longer just to hear the song taper out. Eren pops the keys out just as the piano for  _ Burn Out  _ begins, snickering because he knows it’s Levi’s favourite from the album. Just as they’re closing the doors and heading to get their bags from the backseat, the front door of the lovely neighborhood home flies open and a middle aged woman rushes out, delicate on her feet as she cries something in German. Levi watches as Eren’s face lights up in pure happiness, and he hurries over to get up the stairs to the front decking, lifting her as if he’s trying to blow her back out. 

She laughs, “Eren, put me down young man!”   
  
He does, mumbling something and kissing her hair before they both look over at Levi, standing at the open back door and heaving his duffle bag over his shoulder. He freezes and blinks in apparent fright, but he relaxes at Eren’s warm smile; this woman is clearly his mother, because despite all the pictures Levi has seen of her, she appears just as gentle as her son. She walks over and takes his shoulders, looking down at him with warm urban eyes, “Welcome, Levi. My name is Carla, of course.”   
  
He shivers, “It’s lovely to meet you, Mrs Jaeger.”   
  
She scoffs, “Oh no, if you are going to be staying here, you must call me Carla. Please, let Eren help you inside and make yourselves at home. Me and Zeke are working on dinner-”   
  
“Zeke is making dinner?” Eren asks in obvious disbelief. “He can’t even microwave something without messing it up, ma, please-”   
  
“Oh, quit it,” She scolds, hitting him over the head and causing Eren to wince, almost shrinking at the reprimand. “Levi goes too easy on you, for you to be so sassy at me.”   
  
Levi snorts, “Yeah right.”   
  
“He would’ve hit me harder,” Eren confirms, winking in Levi’s direction and reaching in the backseat to grab his own bag, shutting the door and locking the car. “Is dad at work?”   
  
Carla sighs as they make their way inside, “Yes… Grisha won’t be home for a while, but Mikasa and Armin got here a few hours ago.”   
  
As if on cue, a blond head pokes through the large, open archway, which Levi assumes leads to the living area. He perks up and yells something to Mikasa before bounding over and grabbing Eren in a tight embrace. “You’re finally here! I have so many things to show you, oh my God, I brought the album that Mikasa made for our anniversary, so-”   
  
“Calm down, Ar,” Eren laughs, grinning. “Let us take our things to my room first, okay? We’ll be down shortly, I swear.”   
  
Armin grins, turning to Levi, “It’s good that you could make it, Levi.”   
  
“Thanks,” he says back, and without thinking, “I’m glad I could.”   
  
Shortly after, Carla is swiping at them to get out of the entryway with an umbrella, poking Eren’s back as he climbs up the stairs just because she missed him. He laughs and hurries up with Levi, leading him down the hall to the furthest room, pointing, “That’s the bathroom, by the way… we’ll have to share it with the others but it’ll only be for one night.”   
  
“I’ll live,” Levi promises, feeling his heart swell like it always does with Eren’s consideration, no matter how often it happens. He stands at Eren’s door while the younger walks in, and when sensing he’s not being followed, he turns back to Levi, “What?”   
  
“You really weren’t lying when you said you had a thing for the Mission Impossible movies, huh.”   


Eren drops his bag and laughs, covering his face because he was going a dark red, having completely forgotten about his slightly embarrassing poster collection. “Oh my God,  _ no,  _ this is so unfair-”   
  
“How many fucking posters of Tom Cruise can you have, what the hell?” Levi walks in and shuts the door, dropping his bag at the end of the neatly done bed and looking around the room. The walls are a soft yellow like the rest of the house, but they can barely be seen under the amount of posters and photographs stuck around the room. There’s even a few on the roof, congregated over the head of the bed, and looking closely… “You really put the shirtless ones up too, huh. Not very subtle.”   
  
“I  _ will  _ fight you.”

It’s an empty threat, because they both know Levi would win in a fight between them, but it still makes Levi smirk at his boyfriend’s embarrassment. “Whatever. You wanna show me anything before we go downstairs?”   
  
Eren immediately grabs hold of Levi’s wrist and brings him over to his desk, piled with school textbooks that are no use anymore, and pointing out different images and commenting on them. Majority of them are polaroids, which Eren says Armin had used a lot in highschool when he was first getting into photography. They go over them for a few minutes, Eren telling a few small stories to go along with them before they decide to head downstairs.   
  
Mikasa and Armin are sitting on the living room couch, and perk up when they walk in, ushering them over. Mikasa looks at Levi and nods in acknowledgement, smiling softly and encouraging him to sit so he can look at the photo album with them. Mikasa and Armin had gone on a cruise through the Caribbean for their two year anniversary, and from the sounds of it, it’d been one of the best trips they’ve been on. Armin has countless photos to showcase, a mixture between his gorgeous scenery shots and lower quality snaps, Mikasa stealing the show in a lot of them.

Eren sits down next to Levi and leans over him to look at the photos better, “We should go on a trip sometimes, it’d be fun.”   
  
Levi hums, as if contemplating it, but he had been wanting to take some time off of work, which had been running him into the ground recently... “We can go away for your birthday, wherever you want.”   
  
“Really?!” Eren perks up, and if he had dog ears, they’d be sticking up in happiness too. Levi snorts at the sight but feels his heart pick up from his boyfriend and how adorable he is, ruffling his hair. “Yeah love.”   
  
Eren snuggles closer to him, practically stealing his arm in his death hug, and smothering Levi’s neck in wet kisses just to make the older man laugh, before finally looking over to Armin and Mikasa and tuning back to their photo album.

After about a minute of silent viewing, Eren’s eyes narrow slightly, “You know, you took a  _ lot  _ of photos of Mika.”

Armin goes pink and stutters, “W-Well, we went on the trip together, so of course-”   
  
“You just like taking photos of your wife,” Eren teases. “How many bikini shots did you sneak and hide away?”   
  
“E-Eren!”   
  
“I gave him those first,” Mikasa snickers, “Printed them from his phone-”   
  
“Mikasa!” Armin moans, flopping back on the couch and covering his face with his hands. “This is  _ so  _ embarrassing.”

“I heard embarrassing?” A new voice chimes in, and a bearded blond man walks in from the kitchen with a serving plate. He places it down on the coffee table, stands back up and rests his hands on his hips. “I can give a few stories, if you want-”   
  
“Zeke, don’t you dare,” Eren hisses, eyes narrowing up at his older brother with enough venom to make Levi proud.

He leans forward and shoves Eren back into the couch with a hand on his face, “No no, I’m interested, do share.”

“Levi!”   
  
Zeke practically falls into one of the armchairs across from Levi, sitting up and resting his elbows on his knees, as if he’s a disappointed father making a speech to his ungrateful child. “Right so, I was in my last year of highschool, I think Eren was just in high school when this happened- we had a Wii, and for Eren’s birthday, we got him Super Smash Bros-”   
  
“Oh my god  _ this  _ story,” Mikasa whispers, grinning at Eren who has sunken into the back of the couch, refusing to uncover his face no matter how hard she tries. “You gotta listen, Eren-”   
  
“You can fuck off if you think-”   
  
“He was obsessed with the game. And I mean obsessed- he’d beg me into playing with him, and when that didn’t work he’d call up Mikasa and Armin to come over. I’m sure you know about Jean, right? Annoying friend he was competitive with?”   
  
“Horseface?”   
  
“That’s the one!” Zeke cries out, pointing at Levi with a grin. “One time, for some stupid reason, Eren, in his desperation-”   
  
“Don’t say it like that!”   
  
“Thought it’d be a good idea to invite  _ Jean  _ over to play. Eren got grounded for like, what, two months? Because he got so mad he put the controller through the tv screen.”   
  
“I hate you so much,” Eren moans, and as if his prayers were answered, the sound of the front door unlocking and opening echoes through the living room. “Dad?!”   
  
“Eren, you’re here already?” 

Eren jumps up so fast, ignoring the way everyone snorts and laughs at his behavior and bounds to the entryway. He says hello to everyone quickly, including Carla as she wanders from the kitchen to greet her husband, before his eyes land on Levi.

They’re looking with subtle intensity, and while Levi privately decided Carla and Eren shared similar looks, those eyes reminded him of his boyfriend. “You must be Levi, correct? Grisha.”   
  
Levi stands up and tries to hide his grimace at the offered hand, but shakes it anyway. “It’s good to meet you, sir.”   
  
He smiles, “Likewise. Let me just take a shower, everyone, and I’ll be down shortly.”   
  
He gives Eren one last hug, whispering something, before departing the room. Eren turns to Zeke with a glare, “Don’t you start anything, you hear me?”   
  
The blond rolls his eyes, “I won’t unless  _ he  _ does.”   
  
“He’ll behave or he gets the couch for a month,” Carla scoffs, before turning to Levi with a smile. “There’s nothing to worry about, Grisha and Zeke don’t get along very well, is all.”   
  
“Yeah, I get it,” Levi comments, “I don’t get along with my family, either, it’s fine.”   
  
She reaches over and pats his cheek, “You kids behave- Eren, come help me set up the kitchen for dinner, it’s nearly ready.”   
  
“Sure.”   
  
He takes Levi’s face gently and kisses his cheek before bounding off behind his mother. He feels awkward standing there after Eren has left, but Armin encourages him to sit back down, and the four of them end up trading embarrassing stories about Eren. Occasionally they’ll yell out to him just to hear him groan in despair, which Zeke finds exceptionally funny. When Grisha enters the living room in a new outfit and damp hair, he rolls his eyes at their antics and sits with them until Carla calls them into the dining room, and Levi pauses to look over the room.

The table, large to fit all it’s guests, is absolutely overflowing with plates of food, barely leaving room for the empty plates of all it’s occupants. The room is warm, radiating from the middle as everyone chooses their seats, Eren pulling Levi down to sit between him and Carla, who smiles down at him, “I hope this is alright for your tastes, Levi. If there’s anything you need, don’t be afraid to ask.”   
  
Levi can’t help but think about the conditions he grew up in, how he wouldn’t have been able to get this much food in even a month, and he shakes his head, “No, this is… thank you, Carla.”   
  
She smiles at him warmly and starts to pile her plate, chatting lively with the people at the table. Levi goes to join her, pausing at the end on his knee and looking over at Eren, whose voice is soft. “You okay? I know it’s a lot-”   
  
“I’m fine,” Levi murmures, covering the hand and admiring how warm Eren always was. “It’s… nice.”   
  
Eren beams, leans over to pepper Levi’s face with roughly a dozen kisses before pulling back, just in time to cop a face full of mushy pumpkin. Zeke is grinning smugly from across the table, “Get a  _ room.” _ _  
_ _  
_ “Why you-”   
  
“Eren Jaeger if you throw any food I swear to God you will regret it.”   
  
“Zeke started it!”   
  
It’s so easy to lose himself in the warmth of their dinner; when Carla and Grisha ask about his life, he finds that he can talk easy with them, unlike all the adults he had grown up with. He subtly laughs at the banter between Eren and Zeke, who fight like they’ve known each other over lifetimes, and teasing when Mikasa badgers Eren for eating too fast and getting a messy plate.

It’s easily one of the best meals he’s ever had.

He attempts to help Carla clean up the table, but receives a literal slap on the wrist, “Oh no you don’t. You’re a guest, you will go and rest while I clean this up. Eren, however-”   
  
“Yes mum, I’ll help you do the dishes,” Eren finishes, giving Levi a look when Carla giggles.

Before they can disappear, Levi grabs Eren’s wrist, “Do you think it’s alright if I… have a smoke in your backyard, or-”   
  
“Go for it,” Eren answers, “Not too many, though. Mum would throw a fit.”   
  
“Don’t worry, I only want one.”   
  
Eren grins happily, delighted by the news, considering he’s been trying to get Levi quit since they started dating. They share a small, warm kiss before they part ways, Levi dipping out onto the balcony that overhangs the backyard. He can imagine Eren; young, rambunctious and full of too much energy, running around and getting messy in the long grass, laughing loudly and running as Zeke tries to chase him. He snorts at the imagery and fiddles with his pockets, lighting a cigarette and leaning against the railing in thought.

Despite being nervous for this trip and finally meeting Eren’s parents after over a year of dating, he’s had a really good time, and he knows Eren will be very happy to hear that. He’s certainly come out of his shell more since meeting the younger man, especially with his emotions; he’d throw away his pride to make Eren happy. It’s something he’d realised and embraced shortly after asking Eren out for their first date, wanting to forever see the smile that lights up Eren’s entire soul. He fiddles with the stick of tobacco in his fingers before taking another drag, tempting to just put it out before he finishes it… it’s become more and more of a hassle to smoke them, now with their prices slowly climbing and Eren’s insistence to  _ not  _ smoke in their apartment.

He knows that was Eren’s ploy, to get Levi to stop, but he doesn’t mind.

He pauses when the sliding door echoes behind him, closing again, before a warm body presses against his back. Levi lets out a long hum as Eren sighs and relaxes into his boyfriend, breath warm again his ear, “You alright?”   
  
“I’m good,” Levi murmures, shivering and cowering back into Eren’s warmth. He hadn’t realised how biting the chill was outside, but Eren didn’t seem to mind, arms wrapping around his waist and pulling them tight together. He giggles in the back of Levi’s neck, “You’re cute.”   
  
“And you’re a twat,” Levi huffs, but hearing Eren laugh, he sighs, “But I guess I’m fine with being cute for you.”   
  
Eren pauses, and there’s a feeling in the air like Eren is deeply thinking about something, before he says “fuck it” and pulls away. He fiddles with his jacket, not noticing Levi turning around and watching as Eren searches his pockets before letting out a sound of joy and pulling something out, enclosed in his hands.

Levi feels his stomach swoop, “Eren?”   
  
“Okay, I uh,” Eren goes a bit red in the face. “I wasn’t planning to do this  _ now.  _ I wasn’t sure when I was planning to do it, really… oh God, the guys back home are so going to kill me over this, but fuck it-”   
  
“Eren, you’re rambling,” Levi smirks, watching as Eren pouts and weakly glares at him. His hands fiddle, and it’s so obvious from a mile that Eren is nervous. “What is it, Eren?”   
  
He sighs, fiddling with his hair for a second before deciding and dropping down onto one knee, revealing that underneath his enclosed hands was a small, black box. Levi feels all his internal organs twist, knowing he is not able to hide the look of surprise on his face as Eren looks up at him. 

“I… I’ve had this ring for a few months now. I bought it right before Christmas when I was shopping, because I couldn’t stop thinking about you wearing it and it was basically eating me alive. I wanted to do something for it - I don’t know, dinner or an outing with everybody, but I could never figure out when the right time would be. But… I think now is good.   
  
“I felt so happy, seeing you with my family. I was so glad you got along with everyone, and that you were comfortable with them. I know you were really nervous about today and how it would go, but out of everyone I’ve introduced to my parents, you’ve felt the most right. And I didn’t want to wait, Levi. I want what Mika and Armin have. I want to go on trips with you, I want to introduce you as my husband when we go out; I want a life with you, Levi.”   
  
He pauses, and scrambles when he realises he has to open the box, revealing the engagement ring he’d gotten for Levi. He’s barely able to pay attention to it, because Eren looks up with the brightest eyes and whispers, “Will you marry me, Levi?”   
  
“Fuck,” Levi whispers, and he can feel his entire body heating up. He doesn’t know whether he wants to scream or cry, so he just falls forward and hugs Eren harshly around the shoulders. “Please, oh my God,  _ yes  _ of course I’m going to marry you-”

Eren laughs and easily scoops up Levi into his arms, kissing him easily and leaning against the pillar standing tall at the balcony railing, sighing when Levi’s legs go around his waist and reaching with one hand to grab at his thigh. Eventually, they calm down, their kiss turning from almost frenzied to slow movements against each other, and Eren sinks down to the floor. Levi adjusts so he’s sitting more comfortably in his lap, pressing his forehead against Eren’s, “You’re so impulsive.”   
  
“You love me for it,” Eren whispers, and they share a small laugh before Eren grabs Levi’s left hand and opens the box again, showing off the ring. It’s simple; it’s white gold, solitaire style, with a topaz gem in the middle.

“It’s pretty.”   
  
“I thought it was fitting.”   
  
Levi rolls his eyes and slaps Eren’s shoulder, but he can’t hold back the big smile on his face when the ring fits onto his finger perfectly, looking it over before meeting Eren’s eyes. Eren pushes forward for a kiss again, and they sit out there for an unknown amount of time, lips locked and hearts soaring above them.

They jump and fall apart when the sliding door flies open, Zeke standing in the doorway, “Are you guys just going to sit out here in the cold making out all night? We’re starting the… movie…”   
  
He squints over at Levi, removing his glasses to get a better look; the couple watch as Zeke’s eyes go wide in recognition. Eren tries to scramble up, but Zeke is already yelling out behind him, “Mum!!! Eren proposed to Levi!”   
  
“Zeke, you fucking b-”   
  
“OH MY GOD,” Carla’s voice rings out, “Get them inside this instance! Armin, grab your camera!”

Eren’s entire face is red as he helps Levi up, so the older man pinches his fiance’s (fiance!) cheek, “Look at who the cute one is now.”   
  
“Oh shut up,” Eren huffs, letting Zeke haul them inside, only to get immediately ambushed by Carla. She looks over the ring with hearts in her eyes, before wrapping Levi in a long hug, voice warm in his hair, “Welcome to the family, Levi.”   
  
He takes in a shuddering breath, because he was  _ not  _ going to cry, and hugs her back. “Thank you.”

The entire family huddles in the dining room for thirty minutes before they finally begin their delayed movie, matching with the strawberry cheesecake Armin and Mikasa had baked, but it’s perfect. Levi huddles in Eren’s side and feels the kiss on the crown of his head and  _ knows  _ that it was perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> extra: eren decides he wanted to propose to levi because carla wouldn't stop talking about him while they did the dishes together.


End file.
